Graphite Blog

01.03.2018

What Do I Do if My Staff Say They Cannot Come to Work Due to Inclement Weather?

With Storm Emma, better known in the media as the Beast from the East, hitting most parts of the country, the question on what an employer should do in a situation where their employees can’t come to work is arising frequently. During the coming days employees may contact their employer to state that snow...

Contracts of Employment (Northern Ireland) – The Essentials

The fundamental rule of employment law is that all employees must sign an employment contract with their employer. The term ‘employee’ is defined in Article 3(1) of the Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996 as an individual who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, worked under) a contract of...

Statutory Sick Pay in Northern Ireland

When an employee is unable to attend work due to ill-health in Northern Ireland, they may be entitled to receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from the Employer for all or part of their absence. Employers are now fully responsible for meeting SSP payments to their eligible employees, and there is no mechanism in place...

Bereavement Leave – What Employers Need to Know

Supporting employees who have suffered a bereavement can be a challenging issue for employers of all sizes, but in particular, small and medium employers. It is important for employers to realise that different people cope with bereavement in different ways and a bereavement can affect people differently for a variety of reasons. Employers must...

Has the GNIB Card Been Replaced?

The Garda National Immigration Bureau known as ‘GNIB’ registration cards have been replaced. The Irish immigration authorities have replaced the GNIB cards with Irish Residence Permit (IRP) with immediate effect. Non-EU/EEA and non-Swiss nations that currently hold a valid GNIB card are advised to wait until the expiry date of their card prior to...

The WRC and High Court’s Decision on What is the Effective Date of Dismissal

Background of Case A UPC employee was dismissed on the grounds of serious misconduct, for breaching the company’s email usage policy for sending inappropriate and vulgar emails. Ms. Ryan was dismissed by way of a letter on 18th October 2011. The letter stated her misconduct warranted summary dismissal with immediate effect, however, UPC paid...

Request for Part-Time Working – What Employers Need to Know

In Ireland, under the Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Work, 2006, prepared by the Labour Relations Commission, it is now considered best practice for employers to ensure they have a policy in place to improve access to part-time work for their employees. The aim of this code is to encourage both employers and...

The New Retirement Code of Practice

Retirement was a much talked about HR topic in 2017 so it not surprising that the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) have published a Code of Practice on Retirement. Codes of Practice are in place to set out written rules which define how persons or bodies must act in given situations. The Retirement Code of Practice...

Statutory Maternity Leave & Pay in NI – What Employers Need to Know

In Northern Ireland, a woman’s entitlements in respect of statutory maternity leave (SML) and statutory maternity pay (SMP) are set out in the Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996, the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations (NI) 1999, as amended, the Statutory Maternity Pay (General) Regulations (NI) 1987, as amended, the Work and Families (NI)...

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017

An Employer’s Obligation to Issue Contracts of Employment to Employees At present, the Terms of Employment Information Act 1994 sets out an employer’s obligation to provide a written statement of employment, within two months of an employee’s start date. On 7th December 2017 the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, published the...